Meatless Monday started out strong. As in roasting brussels sprouts in olive oil, s&p, balsamic vinegar and honey strong. Mondays I am usually home all day so that is my day to leisurely stroll through the aisles of Trader Joes with no makeup on, my maternity yoga pants (that I still wear,) UGGS and do multiple drive bys on the sample station. I'm some sort of walking mom cliche and I own it...hard. The only problem with double dipping on a Monday (or triple sometimes...who I am kidding) is that I always go there right after I drop my son at daycare so I essentially open up the store. When there are only a handful of other UGG-clad moms it makes it harder to "blend" on the third time you're reaching for the Veggie Bacon (which is what it happened to be on this past....Meatless Monday.)

Now I actually have never intentionally made dinner on Monday and thought to myself, "lets do this, Meatless Monday" but by the time dinner rolled around, I was already halfway there with my brussels sprouts, I thought..."lets go all the way." I made a tomato pasta sauce with linguini but there was a lot of chili in it and I just didn't see that meal ending well for Jenson. So I went to plan B in the freezer and busted out some Dr. Praeger's Veggie burgers. I figured this was going to be a no-brainer home run. I added a banana to Jenson's plate and my glorious Meatless Masterpiece was finished. And since I learned my lesson from the last time few times I've dined with my son...Olly and I just sat with Jenson and didn't eat our meal as I actually wanted to enjoy it. What ensued next was not what I had envisioned. (shocking.)

Jenson took one bite of my amazing (seriously though, these sprouts were doing God's work) brussels sprouts and spit it right back out. He then wouldn't even touch the veggie burger. I pleaded....I ate half the patty myself and acted like a fool while doing it....I bartered...I tried sneaking bites in with the banana. Basically, everything you are not supposed to do to when trying to "encourage" your child to eat, I did in about four minutes flat. Nothing worked. He wouldn't even try it. And in fact, he spent most of the meal ferociously nodding his head NOOOOO when I would repeatedly ask him to just TRY the veggie burger because I knew it would blow his mind. Unsuccessful. So in defeat, I walked back to the fridge and busted out the always-loved banana yogurt. All-in-all, Meatless Monday was well...meatless. And because I have been going on and on about these amazing brussels sprouts, I am listing the recipe below. I found it on THIS BLOG here and I don't know who Jennifer is, but she is on a extraterrestrial wavelength with brussels sprouts.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a large bowl, toss brussels sprouts with 2 tablespoons olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. Transfer the brussels sprouts to baking sheet and roast, stirring occasionally to ensure even browning, until tender and caramelized, about 20 minutes.

Place brussels sprouts back in bowl. Add remaining tablespoon olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey and toss to coat evenly. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, then serve.

*If you have some brussels sprouts that are very large, cut them into quarters. They should all be cut about the same size to ensure even cooking.

First Bites

Sometimes it takes a child to reconnect you with that joyous sensation of discovering something new for the first time. After my son was born, determined not to give up my love of trying new restaurants and food, I decided to just bring him along for the ride. Here are my family's delicious adventures in Brooklyn and beyond, seen through the eyes of Jenson.

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Patrice Poltzer

Welcome to First Bites where we attempt to answer all of your questions about a particular restaurant before deciding to hit the scene with your offspring. Eating out with kids can be fun (I hear you snickering) but it does take a little planning. Now that I have a child, I look for a different type of restaurant when I eat out and it pretty much boils down to how many laser-beam stares of death my family will receive when we open the door. If it is high, we usually steer clear. Let us help you avoid those stares of death. Thanks for stopping by!